UE Professor, Young & Established Secure Additional Funding to Fight Food Insecurity

Evansville, Ind. (08/29/2023) — Increased state funding has been secured to combat food insecurity in Evansville and Vanderburgh County, thanks to the collaborative efforts of a professor from the University of Evansville (UE) and a local non-profit organization.

UE's Director of the Institute for Public Health and Associate Professor Dr. Su Jin Jeong along with Young & Established (Y&E), was able to secure an additional $50,000 in funding from The Epidemiology Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant through the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH.)

The funds will further support Y&E's work regarding food insecurity and food equity in the greater Evansville area. This funding would provide additional means to address the problems related to food deserts and child hunger among the population that Y&E serves daily.

This grant is in addition to the previous Health Issues and Challenges grant awarded in March.

The funds will allow Y&E to utilize a total of $500,000 to help the community. Dr. Jeong, as the Director for the Institute for Public Health, serves as the technical grant assistant on this project.

"Food insecurity is still a major issue in Vanderburgh County, and with the increase in funding, Y&E and the Institute for Public Health will be able to further reach those in the population who are still struggling to feed their families," said Dr. Jeong. "We are hopeful that our collaborative efforts will be effective in making a major impact for our community and are excited for the positive change that we may be able to see happen for those in need."